But I also had a dialogue with Radio Ambulante via "old-fashioned" e-mail. They are preparing a blog post about how educators have used Radio Ambulante, and below you will find my answers to their questions. I hope that you will listen to Radio Ambulante's stories. If you use it in a class, I'd love to hear about here. Or share your experience directly with Radio Ambulante--they are listening.

1. RA: How did you come across Radio Ambulante?
Ann Abbott: I honestly don't remember! It was probably through Twitter. I then put the
link on my Facebook page and on my Pinterest board about teaching
Spanish & social entrepreneurship to share it with others.

2. RA: What made you think of it as a teaching tool?
Ann Abbott: First of all, I am always looking for examples of authentic language and
culture to bring into the classroom. The stories that you already have up are
great examples of that! I want my Spanish students to be able to see the world
through the cultural perspectives, practices and products of Hispanic cultures.
Each of your stories are like a window into a very specific world. Second,
because I teach social entrepreneurship in Spanish, I knew that
Radio Ambulante as an organization would be a wonderful "case study" for
my students. We were able to examine your mission statement and compare it to
your actions; we examined your use of social media marketing and
calls-to-action; and after spring break we will look at income-generating
possibilities that build on Radio Ambulante's existing
capacities. En resumidas cuentas, Radio Ambulante had it
all: it's a fascinating organization offering high-quality cultural content.

3. RA: What was the most surprising response to the material that you got from
the students?
Ann Abbott: I had listened to "Palabra prohibida" several times while
preparing my lesson. I loved it. I knew my students would love it because it was
about being a student, fitting in, going through culture shock, all things that
they can relate to--especially those who have studied abroad. So in class, I
gave them some time to explore the site, and then I played "Palabra
prohibida" for all of us to hear. I faced my 30 students, and I saw
them smile and heard them laugh and say "Awwww" in all the right places
when the speaker tells about walking into his new classroom. Then, when the
story switched to high school and he started talking about the word
"nigga"--the vibe changed. Talking about race is so awkward in the United
States! It was if people didn't want to make eye contact with any of the
students of color in the room while we were listening. There was absolute
silence and only a few nervous giggles at time. After the piece finished, I put
them into small groups to talk about their reactions to the story and their own
"palabras prohibidas" when they work in the community with
Spanish-speaking immigrants for their community service learning work. The room
exploded with conversations! The volume was louder than what was coming out of
the speakers when I played "Palabra prohibida." It was like they
were so glad to be given permission to talk about race and to be given "safe"
parameters for the discussion.

4. RA: What benefits do you see to using material like RA as opposed to a more
traditional curriculum?
Ann Abbott: When you teach things like my courses--"Spanish in the Community" and
"Spanish and Social Entrepreneurship"--there simply is no traditional
curriculum. Examples from leaders in the field, like Radio Ambulante, are all I have to work with. But it's enough! My students read about the
basics of social entrepreneurship, but with examples like Radio Ambulante
they can see and hear what those abstract concepts--like linguistically and
culturally appropriate programming; autochtonous solutions for
locally-defined problems; mission-based management; strategic alliance building;
etc.--mean on the ground.